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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring continues to heat up, with former England bowler Stuart Broad declaring that England will face "arguably the weakest Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this season.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match at home since England’s series win in the 2010-11 tour. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Uncertainty and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the makeup of their top order and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at Perth because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any side," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts over their team and question marks over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team in over a decade. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Comparison to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the innings, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of underperforming."

Team Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their selection at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the visitors' series victory over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at number three," said Cook. "In my view it’s quite an easy choice. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in people like Pope and [Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he appears a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think undermine him. I’m sure it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Ives.